I just saw Toxic Holocaust as well, and I would totally agree. Awesome show, except for Holy Grail opening, what a bore. But I guess that's when you go to the bar/shotgun out back. But they never play long enough! And the only shirts they had were the Conjure and Command Tour 2011 shirts.

Going to see Opeth in October at St. Andrew's Hall in Detroit. Pretty excited. It will be my second Opeth show. First time I saw them with Dream Theater and they were incredible; blew Dream Theater out of the fucking water.

I'm curious about how their current live show is though. Can Akerfeldt still growl at all? Will they even play their heavy stuff, or will it all be stuff of 'Heritage' and the more mellow tracks from previous albums and 'Damnation'? Maybe they will have someone else taking care of growling duties, or maybe Akerfeldt can still growl and just didn't want to on the new record. I don't know what to expect. Anything is cool with me, I love all facets of Opeth's sound. I'm just wondering how they are live nowadays.

Saw Primordial's 20th anniversary show in Dublin last night. Amazing, amazing, amazing. Great setlist full of rarities as well as classics:

1) No Grave Deep Enough2) Autumn’s Ablaze3) Lain with the Wolf4) To the Ends of the Earth5) The Soul Must Sleep6) The Mouth of Judas7) Bloodied Yet Unbowed8) As Rome Burns9) The Heretics Age10) Heathen Tribes11) God's Old Snake12) The Coffin Ships13) Empire Falls

Saw Primordial's 20th anniversary show in Dublin last night. Amazing, amazing, amazing. Great setlist full of rarities as well as classics:

1) No Grave Deep Enough2) Autumn’s Ablaze3) Lain with the Wolf4) To the Ends of the Earth5) The Soul Must Sleep6) The Mouth of Judas7) Bloodied Yet Unbowed8) As Rome Burns9) The Heretics Age10) Heathen Tribes11) God's Old Snake12) The Coffin Ships13) Empire Falls

Perhaps I'll expand on the show later.

Goddamn, please do! The set list looks fucking fantastic...what I would give to see these guys on my home soil! Seeing, experiencing classics such as The Soul Must Sleep, To The Ends Of The Earth, Autumns Ablaze and the epic, stirring The Coffin Ships would put a chill down my spine.

(boring pre-concert bullshit no one cares about, skip to the third paragraph)

So I took the bus from Galway to Dublin by myself since a few of my friends bailed a few days earlier. Really didn't bother me much actually, since I wasn't going to let anything get in the way of me and Primordial's 20th anniversary show. It was also just a fairly nice trip, as I hadn't had any time to myself in weeks. I spent the two and a half hour bus ride reading school shit, and drinking pints of Guinness.

So I get to Dublin and find the venue pretty easily. It's about 3 and a half hours before the concert, but I wanted to get there plenty early in case anything whatsoever went wrong along the way. There's this French dude waiting outside who I get talking to. It turns out we're in the same boat; bought our tickets off Ticket Master and need to pick them up from the venue, but the doors don't open 'til 6pm, and it's like 3:30pm right now. So we head to a nearby pub and dome some Jameson and more pints of Guinness and Swithwick's. We go back to the venue about half an hour before doors open and there's only two other dudes outside the door, an Irish guy and an Italian. We get talking about Primordial and metal in general and decide to all go straight to the railing when doors open. Alan (vocals) and Simon (drums) came out for a short while and we had a few words with them and got pictures with both of them, which was fucking awesome and unexpected. Blah, blah, blah, doors open and I quickly buy a t-shirt, put my backpack in coat check, buy a disgustingly overpriced pint of Heineken then head to the railing. I have no problem meeting up with those guys I mentioned front row center on the railing, and I definitely wasn't moving at all for the whole show, despite wanting a lot more beer.

Desaster from Germany took the stage only about 20 minutes after doors opened and they fucking killed it. They had a fill-in vocalist who was actually a great frontman; obligatory Bathory debut shirt, good vocals, lively stage presence. The drummer was a huge fatass in a tattered Dio beater, which amused me. Anyway, their set was awesome through-and-through. I was pretty impatient about seeing Primordial in a short while, so some fast black/thrash was just what the doctor ordered.

Solstice were up next and were pretty good. They're better on record, or at least their sound wasn't perfect. I also just wasn't in the mood for slow doom metal since all I could think about was Primordial, Primordial, Primordial. But yeah, you couldn't hear the vocals too well and all in all I was a little underwhelmed.

Primordial. Definitely one of the best live bands I've ever seen. They opened with the new rager, No Grave Deep Enough, and I was instantly delighted at how clear the sound was. Every instrument was perfectly audible and Alan's vocals just soared over the lot. Everyone, including myself, went pretty nuts for that one. Autumn's Ablaze has always been one of my favourite Primordial songs, so it was mindblowing to hear that so early in the set. Before busting into To the Ends of the Earth (a track off their first demo) Alan dedicated it to "the old cunts", lololol. That one was awesome and it was cool to hear lots of black shrieks from Alan. The Soul Must Sleep was a huge surprise and I'm pretty sure it hadn't been played in a while either. Bloodied Yet Unbowed was an unexpected highlight. I remember really liking it when I first heard it, but damn, it's definitely a new Primordial classic. The Heretics Age apparently hadn't been played in a good many years, and while it's not my favourite off Storm Before Calm, it was cool to see a bunch of rarities, not to mention it was really heavy live. Heathen Tribes was as great as you'd expect, but holy motherfucking shit The Coffin Ships live. This has to be one of the most glorious pieces of music I've ever heard. I can't ever recall hearing such an emotional performance from any band. Seriously, this has to be seen to be believed. And then, of course, Empire Falls made for a hell of a closer.

I know Alan (Nemtheanga) has a reputation for being a very passionate frontman, but seriously, I can't remember ever seeing a singer get so into the performance. It was as if he was in a trance for most of the show, often collapsing to the ground with his eyes rolled back in his head, moaning out the vocals, but always completely spot on. When he wasn't doing that, he was running from end to end of the stage, demanding the audiences attention. On more than one occasion he grabbed my hand (and those around me) and screamed in our faces. He even jumped into the crowd during Empire Falls.

The show had a very potent impact on me, and I'm fairly certain I'll vividly remember it for the rest of my life. I'm not even sure I want to see Primordial again, because any other show might undermine this one. At least I'm certain seeing a 6 song festival set would be nothing but disappointing. But yeah, what am I talking about, if I get the chance to see them headline again I'd kill to see it.

After the show I went outside with those new friends I made and we talked about it over some cigarettes before splitting up. I headed to a bus station to try and get a late one back to Galway, and found out that the next one didn't leave until midnight, and it was only about 10:45om. So I headed to a Burger King because I was starving and dehydrated then waited for the bus. Spent most of the ride back sleeping and made it home at about 2:30am.

Saw Marduk last night for the first time, i was really excited to see my all-time favorite black metal band at last. I was there by myself, no alcohol, had to drive my car so. It was fucking awesome but everything didn't go well for the band. Mortuus' voice was pretty fucked up after a few songs, he actually apologised for that between the songs two times, and it seemed that it really bothered him. I totally understand that but either way, he did a damn great job there like the rest of the band, Morgan especially was enraged! Also, i think band had to stop few songs earlier because there was apparently burning some where in the building, so fire department had to come there. At first some guy from the backstage came to say Mortuus to stop in the middle of the song, he just pushed the fucker away and continued the show (no Judo moves this time hehe). Dont know how bad the situation was in the end but it seemed the band really had a bad luck that night.

I was still satisfied as hell. Cant remember the whole setlist order but it was full of great songs, On Darkened Wings, Still Fucking Dead, Burn My Coffin, Panzer Division Marduk, World Funeral, Bleached Bones, Womb of Perishableness (some classic blood spitting on this one), Limbs of Worship, Phosporous Redeemer and Into the Utter Madness. And some other song i cant remember for some reason.

My voice is broken, my muscles are sore and my head is killing me but it was worth it. I hope to see Marduk again in the future in better situations.

I saw Opeth with Katatonia last night. There were a few surprises. They had a weird intro to "Face of Melinda" and "A Fair Judgement" had an extremely slow, heavy ending. I knew which songs they were going to play long before I got there. There were no death metal growls at all. The hardest rocking song they played was "Slither", which Mikael Akerfeldt admitted was a Rainbow rip-off that was meant to honor Dio. I was a little disappointed with the crowd. In Houston the crowd sang "Harvest" from beginning to end. They tried to get the KC crowd to sing the chorus, but few people knew the words. Hopefully their next album will have a few death metal songs so they go back to playing their best songs in concert. I enjoyed their 2008 tour a lot more.

Katatonia sucks. They sound just like alt-metal band Chevelle. It's obvious to me that they have followed all of the trends in their 20 years together. They started as a death metal band because that was popular in Sweden at the time, then they played nu metal for a while when Korn was popular, and now they play modern rock. The singer's voice has very little range or emotion. Yet the crowd loved them. They must have been on the tour because they are friends with Mikael Akerfeldt. He even sang the death metal vocals on their last death metal album when their singer decided he didn't want to do that anymore. The opening bands for Opeth were much better in 2008 -- Baroness, Clutch and High On Fire.

Here's their set list: The Devil's Orchard I Feel The Dark Face of Melinda Porcelain Heart Pyre

Has anyone been to any of the Alcest, Junius, Enslaved and Ghost US shows?

I was wondering how that was going. Im gonna see them in Seattle this tuesday and am curious as to how everything sounded. Ive seen Enslaved probably 3 times before. I cannot wait to see Alcest!!!!!!!! Ghost will be a whatever moment but their live show is something Ive been told is pretty spectacular. Junius is one of my new favorite bands.

Let me know. Thanks!

_________________"I've found a way through the Ocean Machines When it is time, we will know what it means Life finds a way and that always will be... When it is time we will see what we'll see... I guarantee."

Ghoul is pure thrashing madness! One of the best thrash shows I have ever seen with sheer utter chaos.

Last night I saw 3 local bands, Decrepit Birth, Fleshgod Apocalypse, and Rings of Saturn play here in Santa Barbara.

The vocalist of Rings of Saturn addressed the crowd before starting their set saying that they would sound "silly tonight" because their second guitarist was unable to make the show (guess he doesnt know he's in Rings of Saturn, ha!). RoS sounded really stale and just couldn't get the crowd going when all 3 openers had us going apeshit. The vocalist said "you peoples of Santa Barbara are.............weak." after their 2nd song and much to our surprise announced that only one more song was to be played from them, and I couldn't have been happier. Now was my time to go have a couple more beers.

Fleshgod Apocalypse came on and everyone was chanting while the epic symphonic intro rose in volume and the main vocalist exclaimed "WE ARE FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE FROM FUCKING ITALY!!!" and within seconds the place was pure chaos. These guys were pretty damn brutal and there was not one moment the audience died down or the band let up. After every song everyone would restart the FLESHGOD! FLESHGOD! chant and the energy would fly right back through the roof. I thought the bassist/vocalist could really use some work on getting some balls into his cleans for the choruses and certain parts but aside from that the band sounded great.

Now Decrepit Birth are the one band I was really looking forward to and goddamn did they kick fuckin' ass. These guys sound significantly better live with their stage presence especially from their vocalist. I am not a huge fan of the more progressive styles of death metal,m but these guys did it so flawlessly, and when the heavy pummeling parts came in they just grinded you into little giblets. The vocalist handles all the merch and was selling some self-grown, hemp made, Decrepit Birth t-shirts which were nothing short of awesome. He also brought something unique to the stage by giving inspiring and uplifting words between songs and also doing some goofy stage antics and was constantly high fiving or punching through fans hands during the songs. At the end of the set everyone was cheering and clapping for Decrepit Birth and the vocalist shook his head and said something along the lines of, "don't praise us, were just normal fucks like all of you." then a "thank you, you are all beutiful people, (insert metal brotherhood speech here) and that was the end.

Fantastic show and if Decrepit Birth ever come around I will certainly go support them and recommend anyone who wants a fun and highly energetic show to go check them out as well and bring the vocalist some weed!

Last night I was the Alcest, Enslaved, Junius and local Washington State band Christian Mistress.

Christian Mistress - Not really my cup of tea. They play a retro thrash type of metal. Ive seen them before in Olympia and didn't like them then either. I was too busy this time talking to Winterhalter (drummer of Alcest) to care anyways.

Junius - These guys absolutely killed it! WOW! What a set. They played two songs off of their yet to be released album "Reports From The Threshold of Death" and 6 or so songs off of their last album "Martyrdom of a Catastrophist". Their set was very heavy, melodic and at times emotional. Sounds like their new album is going to great as well. The lead singer's vocals were even better live than on record and that, at least to me, is very rare. The guitars were super heavy along with the drums. Id have to give props to the sound guy at the venue for a great mix for all of the bands. Makes concerts that much better when the sound guy is on it.

Alcest - I have been waiting 3 or 4 years to see these French dudes live and they lived up to my every expectation!! Holy fucking hell was it a great set. Niege and company played 5 songs in total, I think, and were clean vocals until they played Percées De Lumière off of Ecailles de Lune which has the black metal vocals in it. Again, I gotta give props to the sound guy cuz the wall of sound that Alcest has was on full display. The guitars were super clean, very clear and you could hear the high pitched nuances that Niege puts into his spectacular guitar riffs. The touring second guitarist, Zero, was a pleasent surprise also. His vocals were definitely on par with Niege and his guitar playing was on key as well. Winterhalter's drumming was on point, as usual, and the bassist's sound was incredible as well. Ive listened to the Alcest cds probably a hudred or so times but seeing them live, with the atmosphere that their music presents, and the emotion you could tell they were playing with made it a soul enriching point in my life. If these guys are coming to a city near you then I highly recommend seeing them. Should not be missed.

Enslaved - Ive seen these guys 2 or 3 times before and you cant really say anything bad about Enslaved's live show, can you? They know how to control the crowd, playing all of the "hits" off records spanning their entire career. Enslaved as usual Id have to say. And that is definitely not a bad thing.

It was an incredible night because the sound was great, it wasn't super packed in the venue so it seemed a little more intimate and the bands (that I went to see at least) just played their asses off. I also got a picture with Niege of Alcest after talking to him about Dreampop and Shoegaze for about 20 mins or so. He's super down to earth, along with the rest of the band but Niege's accent wasnt as rough as Zero's was haha. I also didn't understand a word the bassist said the entire 10 mins I talked to him but all in all it was fun trying to decipher what he was trying to say. Junius and Alcest all hung out in the bar portion of the venue for pretty much until close. I bought Winterhalter and the entire Junius crew a beer or shot or two throughout the night. I talked to Mike (guitar), their drummer, and the lead singer of the band about their album's concepts and other random metal trivia from around the world. It was amazing to see how down to earth those dudes were and how much they knew an autograph or picture with them meant the world to us lowly metalheads. As soon as I figure out how to upload a picture on here then Ill post the piece of paper with Alcest and Junius' autographs. Great times indeed!

_________________"I've found a way through the Ocean Machines When it is time, we will know what it means Life finds a way and that always will be... When it is time we will see what we'll see... I guarantee."

Alcest were a little inconsistent. The songs off "Écailles De Lune" sounded excellent while the songs off "Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde" weren't as strong live. They played "Percées de lumière", which was the only song with growls, which is too bad, because Neige's growls sounded phenomenal. Overall a solid set. Some people from the venue brought out wine and cheese in the middle of the set- playing off the whole French thing- which I though was mildly funny, but obviously Neige did not.

Enslaved tore it up. They had a ton of energy and played a really wide array of stuff, going all the way back to "Víkínglígr Veldí". Their stage presence was excellent and their performance was really tight. However, the crowd was fucking horrible. You would think they weren't even fans. It was seriously awkward at times, like before the encore it was like the fans just expected the band to come back out and didn't even feel the need to applaud or cheer. At one point Grutle said, "Come on! Its Friday night in LA, not Monday night in Sacramento." I guess the crowd didn't want to seem uncool by enjoying a concert. I screamed my brains out and headbanged like mad. A band gets their first headlining tour in the US after 20 years, they deserve some appreciation. I can't wait to leave LA. What a soulless city.

OMNIHILITY - This may actually have been my 2nd-favorite act of the night. While not particularly showy, this band put together a set that crushed. I heard brutal riffage in the vein of Severe Torture - true Death Metal barrages that set this band apart from 'core-ish' acts like the first band and Rings Of Saturn. This is a band I'll follow, as it seems they have something going at least which to build upon. The lead guitarist was good and the band was fairly cohesive and tight.

RINGS OF SATURN - Not much to say about this one other than: not interested. Sure, the guitarists can both arpeggio and sweep, and continue various fret gymnastics but the feel of 'core' screaming and general over-playing permiated this band. Even the bass guitar, which couldn't really be heard anyway. They may have some talented musicians, and I can respect that, but as a group and putting together songs left nothing memorable. We got an obligatory (Portland) Voodoo Doughnuts reference - Yay. I already heard that one from Primus a few months ago. I couldn't wait for them to be done playing. Perhaps just not my style of music - but then why were they playing with these others? Surely just to make the three acts that followed look better.

FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE - I have to say that I've never been much of a listener to this band. I can't do the symphonic stuff very well - it bothers me most times. The outfits were a nice touch along with the black face paint, if you're into such things. Musically and show-wise the problem I had with their set is that the guitars were mixed far to low. The drums were tappy and clearly triggered. The showmanship and performance was excellent and inspired - I just wish I could have heard the damn guitars more! I was impressed with the songs overall and certainly they played their hearts out giving a fine performance. The crowd was certainly into them, as well.

DECREPIT BIRTH - Anyone else get hung up on the Suffocation logo duplication? Anyway, this is a band that I've listened to in recent months and enjoy. They put on a good show, too. A little much on the guitar leads and technical lead-type riffs (for me) but what they did they did well and I really have no complaints. I was pleased with the lead guitarist's play - he certainly exceeded my expectations, which was a pleasant bonus. The riffs were tight and leads were clean and he traipsed through complex parts easily and professionally. The drums were good and the front-man delivered a strong performance. The bass and rhythm guitar were afterthoughts for the most part - doing their jobs as a supporting cast with nothing really standing out for me. Overall this was a great set that was well-done. A lot of fun and the crowd was getting into it. I was glad they were on the bill.

DECAPITATED - This is why I bought the ticket and I was thrilled to get a chance to see this band right near my hometown. I watched the setup to see some of the things Vogg used. This is the only band I noticed one lead/main sound tech heavily involved. My introduction to Decaptitated was earlier this year I've quickly become a huge fan - particularly the guitar work. Destruction is a band I've followed since their Infernal Overkill release and the guitar work of Mike was something that drew me to their music. It's very much the same with Decaptiated and Vogg, for me. I love the style and it's obvious he's an expert at his craft. The show opened with him playing a flying V for only the first track - and one of my favorites of all their work (yes, really) The Knife. What can I say? I had chills hearing it live in brutal, crushing fashion. The drums, bass, and vocals - everything was great. Sound quality and mix were right on, especially for the small club-like venue. Earlier in the night during other acts I'd think to myself "wow, this band sounds pretty tight" only to have the next band enlighten me and take cohesion up a notch. Decapitated took tight and cohesive to whole other level. Truly a professional and well-practiced group that every member lives up to their role doing their job at a very, very high level. I've seen a lot of shows from Metallica, Krisiun, Destruction, Pantera, Megadeth, Slayer, Death, and Kreator and far too many others to name and I was very happy with this show and this band. These guys are very good. After the first song, Vogg donned a decal-less Dean guitar (Similar to Mike from Destruction or Dimebag – surely two influences just based on his style let alone the guitars) for the duration of the show, which I got a few shots of (below).

They ripped every song and the (new) vocalist fit great, though I know a lot of folks don't like any screams, his screams were a great addition to the music - new or old. I thought he did a great job as the singer. He has the power to establish his lower-end growls and his screams are long, perfectly tight and not forced or strained like you hear from lesser vocalists. I like him and the job he did.

What I was watching 90% of the time though was, of course, Vogg. He effortlessly blended in effected parts, solos, and perfect riffing throughout. A guy like him it all looks so easy no matter how fast or complex. I had a hell of a time watching him play. I think the only time the band veered from album-quality live duplication was on it's final song: Spheres Of Madness, in which they played it significantly faster (but not too fast) and Vogg often embellished parts with fills, trippy sounds, and the like. He had a lot of fun with it but not to the point of taking anything away from a very great song. Overall I was satisfied and happy with the hour-long set. Obviously, I'd have liked longer and more songs from the past, but hey, they are touring to support a new album. I get it. And, live that stuff rips even more than on the album. It was interesting to see Vogg weave in the parts from Carnival Is Forever - he did all the effects on the guitar and the only time I heard any non-guitar effects was during a breif break where 'Silence' played for about a minute through the PA. Excellent work, great energy and technicality. The sound was mixed well and the crunch of the guitar, lead sounds, and every other aspect clearly out-classed any other player of the night - as did his playing execution, itself. I can say that if they ever come around again for another North American tour near my area: I'm there.

Saw Opeth last night. Best show I have ever fucking seen. If there is anyone out there doubting the fucking power and brilliance of the new album - see it fucking live. They inject an energy into that shit that isn't in the already incredible studio performances. Mikael was in great voice - not one bum note, even those fucking high notes in 'Slither' were dead on. Fredrik Akkeson can fucking shred - the dude is fucking unstoppable. Martin Axenrot had a nice drum solo that was cool, and Mendez really tore it up as well - especially on the new material, which he is very prominent on. The setlist was great - I got to hear all my favorites off the new album, as well as a lot of favorites from years past. No growling - but that's no too big of a deal. Yeah, it would have been cool to hear Hessian Peel or The Moor and such, but this show was honestly perfect. The sound was great - every instrument was clear, the vocals were clear, it just sounded fucking great. Bunch of idiots in the crowd though. I was basically one row from the barricade in front of the stage - and the dude in front me was more interested in dry humping and making out with his girlfriend than enjoying the music. Then there were these two dumb lesbo goth bitches who were high or drunk or something, unable to stand up, forcing their way through the crowd and making out sloppily during Katatonia's opening set. On that note - Katatonia was a weak opener. I like some of their stuff, so it was cool to hear - but their live show is a bit weak. Sound wasn't as good either. Seeing them live though really shows how formulatic they have become. But anyhow, Opeth was fucking incredible. The setlist, as far as I can remember (I'm a bit hazy in the brain at the moment, y'see?) went something like this:

The Devil's Orchard (Fucking unstoppable live. They ripped right into it and kicked ass. The whole crowd doing the "God is dead!" part was fucking empowering.)I Feel the Dark (My 2nd favorite song off the new album - the live version is downright fucking magical. Atmospheric, hypnotizing. Took my breath away)The Face of Melinda (My favorite song off of Still Life. They added a groovy little introduction to it, and when they came in with the classic main chord progression I lost my mind. Again, Mikael sounded spot on - and his and Akkeson's solos during this tune were unstoppable. Great guitar tone live. Love all the PRS love.)Porcelain Heart (Incredible live. The soft bits were breathtaking - and the heavy parts were just absolutely menacing. You can tell these dudes have been playing these songs a lot live, the performances are just spot on)

Then they broke out acoustics:The Throat of Winter (Not everyone in the crowd new this tune, but I loved it as I think it's an underrated, obscure gem in their catalogue. Best part was Frederik's acoustic solo, which sounded a lot like some Al Di Meola stuff on Friday Night in San Francisco.)Closure (This is my last favorite song on Damnation, perhaps my favorite Opeth album - though Heritage may be now, but it was still great to hear live. They really make it heavy towards the end when they do it liv.)Credence (A surprise! It was cool to hear an older tune, and this is my favorite song off of My Arms, Your Hearse. Awesome fucking version! They added a jam session on the end with some amazing drumwork and some trippy ass acoustic soloing that absolutely destroyed my mind! Amazing!)

Back to the electrics:Slither (I wasn't a huge fan of this song on Heritage. I mean, I like the song - but on the album it felt out of place. It's a Rainbow rocker, and it's great at its job - but on a album filled with proggy madness it just felt out of place. I always thought it should have been a bonus track, and Face In the Snow or Pyre should have made the album. BUT. IT FUCKING ROCKS LIVE. It was amazing! Mikael introduced it with some nostalgia about Dio, which got everyone pumped, and they tore it up! Crowd went nuts, the performance was incredible - just amazing! Slither is a new favorite now!)A Fair Judgement (This was beautiful, very sing-songy, groovy performance. Loved it. The new keyboardist is really great - I sense shades of Floyd in his playing.)Hex Omega (My second favorite off Watershed! Fucking incredible! They tore this beast up! Fredrik was shredding all over the place! The crowd went nuts here. You could tell some fans of Opeth's heaviest stuff were tired of not moshing, so during this song - as unmoshable as it is really, a pit started and chaos ensued. Though it was funny to watch it stop/start/stop/start due to the song structure lol.)

Encore:Folklore (My favorite fucking song off the new record! This song rips live! Again, Frederik adds so much great guitarwork live you could honestly just watch him the whole time! Mikael was spot on - great performance. Amazing. The buildup at the end was orgasmic.)

Best show I have ever seen, period. If you have a chance and like the new Opeth record - go see this fucking show. It's incredible. Mikael talked shit the whole night as per ususal which was hilarious - usually just responding to comments shouted by the crowd (again, lots of assholes. During the encore, someone shouted "Don't play anything!"), or making fun of Mendez lol. He's also gotten really skinny. I know he was never fat or anything, but he always seemed of average, normal weight. Now he is like really, really fucking skinny. But the band was in great spirits (though I think you could see a bit of fatigue on Axe and Fred's faces, but fuck man after extensive touring who wouldn't be?) and it was just a beautiful, beautiful experience.

Thank you Opeth, for destroying my mind and rebuilding it into a better place.

Well, this week I had the fortune of seeing two of the world's loudest bands: Manowar and Motorhead.

Manowar played this Tuesday, at the 02 academy. Tickets were certainly rather pricey but there was a good 600-700 people there which I'd say is a good turnout for a band who hasn't really had much of a profile in the UK for a very long time. The sound was, as expected, very loud and clear. My only complaint would be the triggered drums - which didn't really fit in when the band's live sound is quite dynamic otherwise. I can't really see any reason for their use, either, it's not like Manowar play super fast. Anyway, aside from that the sound was great... especially when Joey decided to really let it rip which had audience members looking at each other, mouthing "What the fuck was that?!". Great stuff.

Eric Adams was in great form and appeared to be enjoying himself very much. Joey and Karl were pretty dour but then again Mr Demaio isn't really known for his happy-go-lucky demeanour. If anything I would have liked a bit more interaction between the band and audience, but again it was a minor complaint. Set wise we got the whole of Battle Hymns which was, of course, fantastic and the expected 'Kings of Metal', 'Hail & Kill' and 'Black Wind, Fire & Steel', which were all wonderful to hear. However, the newer (ie: post-Ross) stuff was a real mixed bag. 'The Power', 'Warriors of the World' and 'Call to Arms' are all big, dumb fun tracks that definitely work well in a live setting... but the other stuff 'House of Death' - perhaps, it could've been 'Hand of Doom' - and a couple of tracks from Gods of War and Sons of Odin were, simply put, dull. Eric Adams really carries the band through these songs, as they're surprisingly riffless. However, they seemed to prove equally popular with the majority of the crowd as the Battle Hymns songs.

Anyway, it was certainly a great, entertaining gig but with a few flaws. Still, Manowar are definitely a band I want to see again. Although, next time let's hope they play some stuff from Into Glory Ride, Hail to England and Sign of the Hammer.

Motorhead played at the same venue last night and that was completely sold out (2500 people or so). I hadn't realised it was sold out weeks prior to the actual gig - so I ended up paying £50 for an upstairs ticket from some 'orrible scalper cunt (he was asking for £80, too). Anyway, I was stood up at the left hand side balcony and it had a very good view, close to the band, but not downstairs with all the greasy punks. I should note that the UK Subs and the Anti-Nowhere League were in support. The Subs were pretty damn good, excellent energetic performances (good drums and very fitting guitar playing). I'm only familiar with their debut and a couple of other tracks from the follow-up, so I was disappointed by the lack of 'CID' and 'I Live in a Car' that night. But 'Tomorrow's Girls' and 'Warhead' were great. The audience seemed to really dig it and I wished they'd had longer than 30 minutes. Oh well.

The Anti-Nowhere League, on the other hand, were mildly enjoyable and they do have a handful of great songs ('Let's Break the Law' and 'We are the League' stood out). Animal is still a great frontman and his vocals are still appropriately boisterous but the guitarist's sound was really weedy and thin and I could swear he started the gig off with his guitar somewhat out-of-tune. The Subs really put in a better set that night. On a side note, I think it was a great idea to put a two punk bands opening for Motorhead; it meant the audience was varied and, to be honest, the punk bands make for a more fitting opener than some of the support bands I've seen open for Motorhead (there was In Flames in 2005, for instance ).

Now this was my 8th time of seeing Motorhead and it was actually the best I've seen them yet (and they've always been very good to great). For whatever reason the band were on excellent form and seemed to be really enjoying themselves up there. What pleased me was that they threw in a few songs that they haven't played in ages. They did 'Damage Case', 'Orgasmatron' and 'The One to Sing the Blues', which I've never heard them do before. 'Damage Case', in particular, was an excellent surprise. I was glad I was up on the balcony this time around, as it was really cool to check out Mr Dee's drumming - he's a very visual and entertaining drummer. The band really went for it that night, and the gig seemed to fly by in no time at all. I made me very happy to see people in the crowd going nuts for every song rather than just saving their energy for 'Ace of Spades' and 'Killed by Death'.

Honestly, I've no complaints about the performance and the sound was clear and heavy (yes, better and possibly louder than Manowar's was on Tuesday). I was glad to hear 'Whorehouse Blues' played as well as an encore, it seems weird that a blues song occupies such an important position in a Motorhead show... but I'd definitely miss it if it was gone. What else can I say? Excellent setlist, a very loud, enthusiastic crowd, wonderful performance and a band who seemed genuinely happy to be up there. I left with a big, stupid grin on my face. £50 well-spent, I'll just have to remember to buy tickets well in advance next year!

_________________'Sometimes you have to be a bigot in order to beat bigger bigots' - G. Marenghi.

After a well deserved break earlier this year, promoter Dave Balfour has out done himself with an absolutely stellar line-up at The Valve in Tempe. For four rock-solid hours, the proudly pokies-free venue was transformed into the Tempe Thunderdome.

Opening the night was Crimzon Lake, NWOBHM alumni Paul Mario Day’s latest music offering. A loud, fat mix of 70s Brit-Rock and True Metal saw the band proving they were far from past their prime, with Day channelling his younger self in stage presence only, and displaying a matured and unrelenting set of pipes. Mark Middleton (Bass) and Alax Sazdanoff (Drums) provided a hard hitting and tight rhythm section, allowing Danny Jackson’s locomotive riffs and wailing guitar solos to shine. Curiously, the band played a lot of material not actually featured on their debut EP, instead showcasing a much heavier side.

Next up were Newcastle thrashers Sabretung. After some technical difficulties resulted in a late start, the four piece ploughed through a juggernaut of heavy-as-hell, savage numbers. Not content with the lack of crowd participation, frontman Doug Murray made numerous attempts to coax the crowd into becoming much more active. “Come on up the front, that is where headbanging is supposed to happen.”

When pleasantries failed, Murray jumped down from the stage and physically placed a number of us up the front of the stage. In doing so, he reminded us all that we were at a FUCKING METAL show, and exactly why local gigs, were this kind of thing can still happen, are some of the best.

The bluntly-named Metal proved a crowd pleaser, with all singing along to their would-be anthems. The stage presence was there and then some, but the band’s set felt incomplete, something missing from the overall performance. Whether it was the tired vocals or simply the band not playing tight enough I’m not sure, but it stopped the band from achieving their full potential.

Head-liners Taberah managed to steal the show, bringing their blend of glam rock theatrics and power metal melodies to Sydney for the second or third time in their six year existence. Complete with duel guitar solos, as well as multiple and intricate progressions, the group displayed considerable development from their earlier days as a more straightforward metal outfit.

The band has slugged it out in the pubs of Tasmania for some time, with only frontman Jono Barwick and drummer Tom Brockman remaining of the original line-up. However, the current incarnation of the band is certainly their strongest, with the band wearing their experience on their sleeve. Combining flawless musicianship and a down-to-earth, playful attitude, Taberah were firing at full force. A perfect warning shot to fans both old and new of what to expect as the band’s strangle-hold on Aussie metal continues to tighten.

Just got back from Vader and Gorgoroth in Dublin with soverysorry. Wow, what a fucking day. I'll post a more in depth review later since I'm too drunk to properly use a keyboard and it's 5 in the morning. Such a fucking awesome show though, and a great trip in general.

Just got back from Vader and Gorgoroth in Dublin with soverysorry. Wow, what a fucking day. I'll post a more in depth review later since I'm too drunk to properly use a keyboard and it's 5 in the morning. Such a fucking awesome show though, and a great trip in general.

Hail Satan

I saw Vader and Gorgoroth in Plymouth last night, and feel suitable pummelled. Very good to see Vader again as last time I was inebriated and chipped a tooth in the pit.

Manowar last night at Starland Ballroom in NJ. Ridiculously Loud, awesome to see all of Battle Hymns live, the rest of the tracks I could really care less about to be honest with you. We got Kings of Metal, Black Wind Fire And Steel, Hail And Kill... the usual suspects I suppose... the set was exactly the same as Acrobat mentioned two posts above me. I would have loved to see Gloves of Metal, Hail to England, Defender, Warlord...

Worth the ticket price? YES... YES IT WAS. To witness the power of their live sound was unimaginable. It shakes your bones down to the marrow. We got a DeMaio rant and we got a whole crowd of people singing along... was awesome. I was surprised how many people I saw that didn't know the lyrics to most of the Battle Hymns tracks. Surprising, as for me that's their most memorable album. Also awesome was that even though they were so loud, and I forgot earplugs, I had NO ringing in my ears even though I was right in the middle of the crowd in front of the speakers. They have their sound so finely tunes that it actually is enjoyable loud and not like the time I saw Accept at the same venue and my ears rang for 2 days afterwards because of the terrible high pitched frequencies that the sound guy couldn't seem to isolate.

Alcest were a little inconsistent. The songs off "Écailles De Lune" sounded excellent while the songs off "Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde" weren't as strong live. They played "Percées de lumière", which was the only song with growls, which is too bad, because Neige's growls sounded phenomenal. Overall a solid set. Some people from the venue brought out wine and cheese in the middle of the set- playing off the whole French thing- which I though was mildly funny, but obviously Neige did not.

Enslaved tore it up. They had a ton of energy and played a really wide array of stuff, going all the way back to "Víkínglígr Veldí". Their stage presence was excellent and their performance was really tight. However, the crowd was fucking horrible. You would think they weren't even fans. It was seriously awkward at times, like before the encore it was like the fans just expected the band to come back out and didn't even feel the need to applaud or cheer. At one point Grutle said, "Come on! Its Friday night in LA, not Monday night in Sacramento." I guess the crowd didn't want to seem uncool by enjoying a concert. I screamed my brains out and headbanged like mad. A band gets their first headlining tour in the US after 20 years, they deserve some appreciation. I can't wait to leave LA. What a soulless city.

What? I have been to many shows, and LA always had the MOST enthusiastic fans! LA also has a good scene as well, and lots of people love metal from there. I can tell you about Enslaved though. Most LA fans are rabid black/death fans and like me, they feel betrayed with Enslaved going from a UNIQUE viking/black metal band to an extreme version of Pink Floyd. We remember the old days (their peak) when they toured for the awesome Blodheim album, and every song they played was great. Now, you have to wait through five songs just to hear one good one. SO I feel the crowd wasn't into them because of they're new direction, and those who went, went for the older songs (Blodheim and before).

Going to see Megadeth/Motorhead at Mohegan next week. I have seen both before. Motorhead are a lot of fun, but I have a question about Megadeth. The only time I have seen them was on the American Carnage tour, where they played all of RIP. Dave's vocals were, to be honest, not very good. Is he typically bad, or is he hit or miss?

First of all, hi everyone, I've been lurking for a while here but this is my first post

Secondly, damn vondskapens_makt, I really liked your reviews on the first page but I also want to thank you for mentioning Salome, I've discovered them through your review and although they sadly do not exist anymore, they are fucking great!!

Bad Mapquest directions caused me to miss Death Angel, so obviously i'm upset about that. The ticket said 7:30 start time, which is early, but since this concert was on a Thursday city ordinance or some shit mandated that it end by a certain time, hence us missing Death Angel coming in at like 7:55 or some shit.

Testament was fire, just like the other time I saw them, Chuck Billy's voice certainly isn't getting any weaker and he dominates the stage with his low growls. The set list was pretty standard, not changing much from when I saw them in 2008. The mandatory New Order songs, two good ones from The Gathering, their single off Formation and then the "singles", really all the stuff you'd expect like Souls at Black and Over the Wall. There were no weak points in their set at all, Skolnick is a great showman and the sound was perfect for how big the venue was. There were lots of older folks in the pit for these guys too, it was cool to see some old school thrashers who bought this stuff on tape back in the 80's still willing to get hit in the mouth!

Anthrax was missing Scott Ian due to illness, so there was a rotation of guitarists from the other two bands playing their set. They started out with Eric from Testament playing some newer song, then seeing the lack of crowd reaction, I believe they moved Caught in a Mosh up to be the next song, and sure enough that got things started in the crowd again. It was awesome seeing the crowd response Anthrax got, I was moshing to that song and i needed to get out to catch my breath but I couldn't, it's like I was caught... in a mosh... fuck yeah it was awesome. Almost passed out. Peterson was rotated out for Alex skolnick to play the next few songs, which included Got the Time and Anti-Social if I'm not mistaken. Then the guy from death Angel came out and did the next several, which included Medusa and some other good ones. Peterson and the Death Angel guy really played well filling in for Scott, they didn't really fuck up but they just had to play with their heads down, concentrating and stuff. Not so for Alex Skolnick, who probably felt like these songs were cake to play and he kept being a showman with his guitar playing throughout. What a monster! They brought him back out for the closing two, Metal Thrashing Mad and I Am The Law, and really it was a great set list with a bitchin finale. Everyone was singing along and it was a very affirming metal experience. No Scott Ian was disappointing, but after reading that Dan Lilker interview I don't care for that guy much anyways. Joey Belladonna made up for the lack of a dancing guitar player with his showmanship, which was very fun to watch. Even though he kept saying "God bless you" he was very charismatic, doing the funny dance moves I've seen in the 80's music videos.

So yeah it was a great show well worth the 30 dollars even without seeing Death Angel, and there were plenty of cool things happening, I saw a fight get started, I got a guitar pick from Alex Skolnick, ran into about 10 people I knew, cool stuff. The absolute highlight of the show was when Anthrax was playing Indians, and when the "WAR DANCE" part started, they stopped like 1 bar after that started. I thoguht the sound got cut or something, and was like "What the fuck?" There had been one of the bigger pits of the night going at that point, and I thought another possibility was that they thought it was getting too violent in there so they stopped playing. But no, Belladonna was like "You call that a fucking war dance?" And they made us start over and the floor just erupted the next time, it was very violent thrashing madness. It was a very intense live experience to accompany what I consider a great moment in thrash metal.

_________________

Xlxlx wrote:

I very much doubt anyone here is interested in rectal penetration, myself included.

Saw Machine Head a few nights ago. Though I didn't love the opening acts (Darkest Hour and Suicide Silence), they really energized the crowd before MH got on. Once Robb Flynn took the stage, everyone went crazy. They played almost all of Unto The Locust, some Blackening, and a few old classics. All in all the crowd was fantastic and Machine Head played flawlessly.

My wife got me tickets for this show as a Christmas present, so I’ve been looking forward to this show for over a month. She even talked to my boss and hooked up Monday and Tuesday as vacation days. In addition, she got me Anthrax’s newest CD – “Worship Music”, and Testamant’s DVD – “Live in London”, neither of which I had. Considering that she isn’t really into metal, she did quite well! I was even more surprised when I found out that Death Angel was appearing too.

Thursday, before the show, I caught a cold - a bad one. I worked Friday anyway, but I felt like I had been hit by a bus full of sumo wrestlers Friday night. Saturday, I was a bit better. We had already planned on leaving Sunday, and booked a hotel in Asheville. I had already got an antibiotic, lots Vitamin C, zinc, etc. I was not going to miss this show dammit! It’s a 6-hour drive to Asheville, so I slept while Mrs. Dark Gnat drove. After we checked in, I crashed. Monday, I felt better, and hit some of the local record stores, which I try to do whenever we visit a city.

The place was a full house, but we got in and found a nice spot in front of the sound guys. Excellent audio system, by the way! Death Angel opened, playing for about 30 minutes. I have to be honest, I was a little unsure about them because the only thing I have from them is “Act III” which is a little off by thrash standards. However, they played only their faster songs – and absolutely killed! The vocalist sounded fantastic, and full of energy. No screw-ups other than a bit of feedback from a mic. The set was awesome, even if it was short. I have some more Death Angel albums to get!

Testament then ripped through a set of classics, pulling at least one song from all of the classic lineup albums, and a couple from “Formation of Damnation”. They absolutely owned the place. Chuck’s voice is a commanding presence, and he has not lost a bit of the raspy graveled yells or the low roars. He is also great with crowd interaction, and really got the place moving. The rest of the lineup played flawlessly, and did an outstanding job, though I felt the guitars were slightly low and muddy. Alex Skolnick’s leads were amazing. This guy really is one of the best lead guitarists out there. He played wonderful solos effortlessly and was obviously having a blast. The whole band was grinning ear to ear. You could tell they were having as much fun as the audience, and that made the show even better.

Note to all the pretentious pissed off (“kult”/”brootal”) bands: Let the music be aggressive, and don’t be afraid to have fun when performing. That is the whole point, is it not?

The mighty Gene Hogland played drums for Testament (and Anthrax as it turned out). This guy simply owns the kit. He effortlessly pounded through the set with aggression, precision, and finesse. I have always thought he was one of the top drummers in the world, and he didn’t disappoint.

Anthrax took the sage after a rather long break/sound-check. They opened their set with the first song from the new album, and blasted through all of the favorites. They sounded fantastic, and had an energy that rivals any 20-something band out there today. Joey’s voice was excellent, and very powerful. He may not be able to hit the really high notes, but to me he sounds even better. The rest of the band was outstanding and took the place by storm. Caught in a Mosh, Antisocial, and others were great, with lots of crowd participation and a massive pit. I would have to say that among the “Big Four”, Anthrax is currently at the top. They gave life to the old songs, playing them with intensity and energy that a lot of bands tend to lose over the years. The new songs are more modern, but really hold up the style without retreading past glories - impressive to say the least. Scott Ian was also great with the crowd. Note: Charlie Benante was unable to play due to a last minute family emergency (hope everything’s all right!), but the mighty Gene Hogland filled in, giving a double-dose of percussive thunder. I have to admit we left a few minutes early, as the meds were wearing off, and I really didn’t want to sneeze bloody snot all over anyone. I really hated to do it, but I wanted to avoid the exiting crowd. However, we could easily hear them from two blocks away!

As I said, Mrs. Dark Gnat really isn’t a huge metal-head, but she listens to it when I have it on, obviously preferring the more mellow or accessible bands. This was her first real metal concert, but she had a great time. She told me that of the three, she liked Death Angel the best. I also notice quite a few parents rocking out as much as their teenage kids. Remember, thrash metal has been around for 30 years, so it’s an odd – but cool thing to see such an age-diverse crowd. When these parents were 19, they said “metal forever” and obviously, they meant it. I’m rather glad, because it means the scene is crossing generations: the kids are into it, and the “old people” are still into it. That will hopefully keep the spirit of metal alive for a long time, and not just be a blip in the annals of 1970’s-2010’s musical history. \m/

Altogether, this was a great show, well worth the ticket price, which was quite modest. All three bands were outstanding, and really displayed how awesome thrash metal is live. If they come to a nearby venue, go see them. That’s an order. Hell, we drove 6-hours, with a cold, uphill, both ways, and I was glad to do it!

_________________FYI: 89% of all statistics are made up on the spot - including this one - which proves my point.

Iced Earth I am not that big of a fan of but they weren't bad. Energetic and fun to watch. My friend I was with said they pretty much played all new stuff which he said wasn't as heavy or fast as their older stuff so he was a little dissapointed. But Symphony X was awesome. Although they can be a bit cheesy at times they put on a hell of a show. The group of them really are some kick ass musicians. They played a lot of Iconoclast so the majority of their set was some of their heaviest stuff. Great live act.

On Saturday I saw Tragedy, an all metal tribute to the Beegees. They were a lot of fun. The group was all decked out in spandex except the dummer who was in corpse paint with slut written on his stomach in fake blood. Haha. They played all that you would expect, all the Saturday Night Fever stuff but with a thrash twist. It was a good time.

Lacuna Coil started off the show, Ive never listened to them before, They didn't have much of a stage presence at all, just kinda stood there and played/sung so it was pretty boring me and a couple friends started a big pit and got a spotlight shout out from the lead singer which was pretty bad ass, the set was only about 30 minutes long.

Volbeat was next on the bill, again I've never heard them before, apparently they are kinda like Social Distortion but in a metal way? Set wasn't anything special..

Motorhead was the first of the headliners, played loud and fast which is kind of expected from them. Set was about an hour long and included all the songs you would expect (killed by death, ace of spades, no orgasmatron sadly) only bad thing would have to be the poor venue or maybe it was the mixing, If you were more then 15ft away from the stage you couldn't hear anything, only happened during their set.

Megadeth finished the night, it was my 3rd time seeing them, they played a good set with a good mix of songs off all the albums, Dave sung surprisingly well which is always a bonus. played for about an hour and fifteen minutes.

Overall id have to give the show about a 7\10, the 2 unknown bands(to me at least) weren't my thing but i still had fun. Megadeth and Motorhead put on good shows and i would totally like to see them both again

Going to see Opeth in October at St. Andrew's Hall in Detroit. Pretty excited. It will be my second Opeth show. First time I saw them with Dream Theater and they were incredible; blew Dream Theater out of the fucking water.

I'm curious about how their current live show is though. Can Akerfeldt still growl at all? Will they even play their heavy stuff, or will it all be stuff of 'Heritage' and the more mellow tracks from previous albums and 'Damnation'? Maybe they will have someone else taking care of growling duties, or maybe Akerfeldt can still growl and just didn't want to on the new record. I don't know what to expect. Anything is cool with me, I love all facets of Opeth's sound. I'm just wondering how they are live nowadays.

Nice, I will go too. Want to meet you, don't you live pretty far North?

_________________

nuclearskull wrote:

Leave a steaming, stinking Rotting Repulsive Rotting Corpse = LIVE YOUNG - DIE FREE and move on to the NEXT form of yourself....or just be a fat Wal-Mart Mcdonalds pc of shit what do I give a fuck what you do.

So anyone seen Nile live.? they are coming to my country and i'm going to be seeing them for the first time this summer.

They give a great show. I've seen them twice and they're actually a bit interactive with the audience and exude joy in playing live. Kolias is a pleasure to watch and chat to, very nice guy. He spent nearly 45 minutes chatting with a friend of mine who's also a drummer about kit material, brands, techniques, etc.

I had the pleasure of seeing Cannibal Corpse on 10th March at the HMV Forum in London, supported by Triptykon, Enslaved and Job for a Cowboy.

There was the usual malarkey that's associated with going to a gig (booze, travel, booze, wait around, booze etc) but that's unimportant.

JFAC kicked the evening off to an audience that was either indifferent or scathing of the band, which isn't ideal but they made the most of it. I don't listen to them, but they played tight without making any obvious mistakes. There was about 2 fans down at the front headbanging for most of the set whilst everyone else just stood around at the bar or merchstand, me included. Admittedly, I did get hypnotised by a man who was juggling glow-in-the-dark balls halfway through their set, so I blanked a couple of songs. They apparently played some new material, which got a postive reaction, and then they closed off with 'Entombment of a Machine'. By then, a mosh pit had started as the crowd grew less frigid but then they said goodnight and that was that. I will say that their frontman was less annoying than the wankers who normally front deathcore bands and are always ordering for circlepits which never do, so that is a plus. For the most part, they weren't playing the endless breakdown songs either, which was appreciated. 6.5/10

Enslaved took the stage next, after an atmospheric intro and received a rapturous reception. I'm not all familiar with their material, but they were a joy to watch because they were proper showmen. They played tight, with the growled and clean vocals working well together and the keyboards meshing with the guitars brilliantly. The crowd was more enthusiastic for the band as well, especially when they threw in a cover of Led Zeppelin's 'Immigrant Song' which was heavier than I'd ever thought possible. That segued into an instrumental before they played their final song and bowed out graciously. 8/10

Triptykon casually strolled onto the stage next. I'd only listened to 'Goetia' before I watched them, and I was interested to see if they could bring their doom/thrash/anything else epics to the stage and keep me excited. The answer is yes, yes they can. They played 'Goetia' second ('Lord, have mercy on my soul!') which was immense. Corpsegrinder came on to sing a cover of a Celtic Frost song (can't imagine why) and the crowd went nuts for him. Because of the song lengths, they didn't play many songs, but every tune was enjoyable. 8/10

Now, the moment I'd been waiting for. Cannibal Corpse walked on and straight away a pit opened up, even before 'Evisceration Plague' started. And then it just carried on. The crowd went absolutely schizo, and it was awesome. They played two new songs, 'Demented Aggression' and 'Scourge of Iron' which were different kind of songs, cause DA was non-stop aggression (hah) whereas SoI was a slower crushing song. After that, people kept on screaming for 'I Cum Blood' so they obliged, after Corpsegrinder informed us that we would fail if we tried to headbang like him, but we could try anyway. I failed. The band were flawless, windmilling away as they played something from every album except 'Gore Obsessed'. I flipped out when 'Born in a Casket' was announced, as well as 'Covered in Sores'. It was a dream fulfilled to see CC live and it was up to par, apart from the disturbing lack of lead guitar. I could see Pat playing, but I couldn't hear it. Aside from that, it was a magical night. Recommended. 9/10

_________________"They do say, Mrs M, that verbal insults hurt more than physical pain. They are of course wrong, as you will soon discover when I stick this toasting fork in your head."

So, I went Arcturus's sold out reunion gig at last Saturday night. Clockwork Spirit was a supporting act which I, however, didn't watch.

Arcturus played 1½ hour set which contained songs from every studio album they have released so far. Yet La Masquarade Infernale and Sideshow Symphonies were the most represented albums with 4 and 5 five songs. Worth of mention is that they played Hibernation Sickness Complete for the first time ever, or at least Vortex said so before the song.

They started with "later" material playing Evacuation Code Deciphered as a opener and then Ad Absurdum and Nightmare Heaven from The Sham Mirrors album. After that, they continued with Deception Genesis. The rest of the main set was a dialog between LMI and SS, although they played To Thou Dwellest in the Night and Rødt og svart in the encore.

They were very visual as they had a video screen which showed mainly some weird monochromatic film. They also had their costumes with them and Hellhammer looked like Joey Jordison with his kabuki like mask.

The show was excellent, although not perfect as I felt that I wasn't compelety satisfied. The set was good, though they didn't play Radical Cut which is, after all, one of my favourite songs from them. Sound were good too, although there could have been an additional guitar.